Walking was not one of Sonic's favorite activities. Walking on tiptoe and being sneaky, even more so. His style was more the rush-in-save-the-day-and-take-names-later type. But, when Sally got so caught up in her royal responsibilities that their relationship got pushed to the back burner, he usually forced himself to do something like this--sneaking up to her room with flowers and a picnic basket. Sonic waved a hello to the nearest guard, and put a finger to his lips. The guard nodded back, a smile on his face. This wasn't the first time. At last! Sally's hallway. The door to her room was right there. Sonic walked quietly, pressing himself to the wall. He tested the doorknob. Unlocked, as usual. Finally, he could make some noise! He pushed the door open. "Surprise, Sally!" "Sonic?!" "Sonique?!!" What in the world...? Sally sat, on her couch, tangled up quite awkwardly with Antoine. A few seconds before, they had been quite busy with a passionate kiss. "Sally...?" Sonic squeaked. "Uh, Sonic, it's not what it looks like..." Bad movie line. Was that the best she could do? "Pairhaps I would be zee better off leafing you du alone..." Antoine tried. Sally pulled back from him and nodded. "Maybe so...go on. I'll see you later." Antoine took her hand and kissed it. "Most definitely, my Preencess." He inched carefully past Sonic, who simply glared, watching Antoine, staring at him until finally he bolted for the door and slammed it on his way out. "I'm gonna kill him," Sonic said, flatly. He dropped the basket that he'd been gripping tight enough to make his knuckles turn white, and dropped his hand-picked daisies on top of them. He walked--gently, probably better not to startle her any more than she already had been--to Sally and sat beside her, where Antoine had been seconds before. "I only let him go because I have to take care of you first. Now, what happened? Did he hurt you?" Sonic put a gloved hand up to her hair and pushed some of it out of her face, looking for any scratches or scrapes. Sally hung her head and pushed his hand away. "Not exactly." "What happened?" "I invited him up here, and we talked for a while, and...then...we...we..." "Started making out for no apparent reason?" Sonic offered sarcastically. "Not exactly." Sally turned, facing sideways to him so she didn't have to look at him. "This...wasn't the first time. Antoine...and I...we..." Sonic frowned. No way. He'd assumed the worst of Antoine, and Sally was trying to tell him something else. There was no way he could be so idiotic as to not pick up on it either way. "You what?" "Well...you were gone, see...and, you know Father would like to see me with him...so...I kind of agreed to go to a major royal announcement...party...thing..." Sally's voice was cracking. "You don't really care what it was, do you?...Well, I went with Antoine...and...one thing led to another, see...?" Sonic did not see. Sally looked over at him. "But...I mean, we can still be friends, right?" "What did you say?" A few minutes ago, Sonic had been ready to rip Antoine apart, thinking he was taking advantage of Sally. Now he was ready to...well, no, he didn't exactly want to rip Sally apart. But he was very angry. "We can still be friends. I mean, I still like you and all...and, we were never seriously boyfriend and girlfriend...you know, we just kind of...were there...no big deal, right?" Sonic blinked for the first time since entering the room. "After all we've been through...all the years, the battle, the fighting, the warring...all the close calls, everything...that...that kiss...when everyone thought you'd died...you woke up and you were okay...and all of that...means nothing?" "Well...of course it means something to me...I mean, Sonic, we meant a lot to each other back then, and it was my first real kiss and all..." "So I'm just a childhood friend, is that it?" "No, no...Sonic, please understand, I never meant for it to happen like this...I didn't set out to hurt you...but I'm happy now. Can't you understand that?" "You could have told me. You could have said, 'Hey, Sonic, you know what, I went to a party with Antoine and now we're engaged, I was hoping you could be the best man!'" "Quit exaggerating! Besides, I haven't been able to contact you for three weeks!" "You act like I haven't seen you in three years!" "I wish I hadn't!" "I wish we'd never been friends!" Sally paused. "Really?" "If I'd known this was how it was going to end, I never would have liked you. You know, there's a reason they call me True-Blue. I think other people oughta be the same way." Sally glared daggers at him. "I tried, Sonic, I really did. But you were never here. You never called, never e-mailed. There was a time I honestly thought you had given up on me." "And then?" "The party came up and I needed someone to go with. I wanted you to come, and I tried to get ahold of you. No luck." "So you go with the French dip, and you fall in love?" "Well...he's polite...he treats me like a lady...and he's always cared about me for as long as I can remember..." "So have I!" "But...Sonic, you never...said anything..." "So?!" "You never asked me out, so I thought you didn't care...that much...and I couldn't just wait around for you..." "I didn't want you to wait for me! I wanted to ask you, but every time we got dangerously close, you changed the subject." "I did not!" "Well, never mind that. I'm asking you now. Sally...I...I care about you. Will you please, please, please, please, pleeeeeeeeeease be my girlfriend? Would that make you happy?" Sally frowned. "No." "Then what are you asking me to do?!" "Let me be with Antoine! I care about him, he cares about me, and he's not afraid to tell me, either!" "So what we had really is nothing. Don't deny it, you've proved it with what you've said." Sally sighed. "Sonic, nothing is the same for me anymore. I live in a palace, surrounded by servants and guards, not to mention my family has doubled in size with my mom and brother, I don't have to rule Mobius 'someday', and...and..." "And you don't love me anymore." A single, hot tear of anger trickled down his cheek as he decided that he didn't want to hear any more. He zoomed out the door, making no premise of being quiet, and raced out of the palace, heading for the nearest place he could be alone--the jungle surrounding the ancient temple in the Mystic Ruins. He sped around, kicking up leaves and twigs and leaving a trail behind him that a two-year-old could follow. He zigged and zagged, braking so fast in small, sharp corners that he might have been worried about starting a forest fire. If he'd been able to think of anything but Sally and his broken heart.

We've been together for so very long

He reflected on times past; the time they'd spent together over the years. He'd known since he was little that he liked her. Maybe she was right--he wasn't big on vocalizing it, but he thought she knew. The thought crossed his mind that she would say that's what he got for thinking, and it left a bitter aftertaste in his head.

But now things are changing, oh I wonder what's wrong?Seems you don't want me aroundThe passion is gone and the flame's died down

Why would she just change her mind like that? Maybe he had taken for granted the idea that she knew how he felt, but he had always known how she felt, or at least he thought he had.

I guess I lost a little bit of self-esteemThat time that you made it with the whole hockey team

But she had changed her mind, there was no way around it. How she could care for the lowest, scummiest, dumbest guy in all of Knothole was an idea that completely evaded his thought processes. Maybe she had lost all sense of good taste.

You used to think I was niceNow you tell all your friends that I'm the Antichrist

Another random thought flitted across Sonic's mind--this was going to create a scandal at the palace. His score on the reputation scale was going to plummet. Nobody was going to be his friend anymore--well, maybe some people, but certainly not the royal family. Especially not Sally herself, not after the way he'd acted. A thought stood at the back of his mind saying maybe he should be a little sorry, even go back and apologize, but he refused to process it, knowing he'd end up going back if he did.

Oh, why did you disconnect the brakes on my car?

That kind of thing is hard to ignoreGot a funny feeling you don't love me anymore

Why had it been so sudden? If they had fallen out of love and formally declared it, and then this had all happened, it might not have hurt so bad. Well, it would have hurt then, at least a little, wouldn't it?

I knew that we were having problems whenYou put those piranhas in my bathtub again

And the part that stung the worst was that she had fallen for the one guy that Sonic couldn't stand.

You're still the light of my life

He couldn't help still caring about her, despite what he'd said about wishing they'd never been friends. That wasn't really true. But he wasn't allowed to care about her anymore. She had someone else now, someone who loved her the way she wanted to be loved. Sonic smirked; Antoine was probably very careful about how he treated her, for fear of losing her. Of course, he was all about manners anyway. Still, Sonic was sure it was fragile between the two at best.

Oh darling, I'm beggingWon't you put down that knife?

You know, I even think it's kinda cute the wayYou poison my coffee just a little each dayI still remember the way that you laughedWhen you pushed me down the elevator shaft

Oh, if you don't mind me asking, what's this poisonous cobraDoing in my underwear drawer?Sometimes I get to thinking you don't love me anymore

You slammed my face down on the barbecue grillNow my scars are all healing, but my heart never willYou set my house on fireYou pulled out my chest hairs with an old pair of pliers

As Sonic ran on and began to tire out, the reality of the situation began to dawn on him. He'd really been dumped by Sally, the only girl he ever had or ever could care for. He felt...dead inside.

Oh, you think I'm ugly and you say I'm cheapYou shaved off my eyebrows while I was asleepYou drilled a hole in my headThen you dumped me in a drainage ditch and left me for dead

She might as well have just killed him there on the spot, he reflected. Not that he had lost all will to live--he'd gotten rather attached to the habit by now--but he was sure that he would feel nothing for the rest of his life--just a dead emptiness that was growing inside. She had meant so much to him, and now she had torn herself away and there was nothing to fill the void.

Oh, you know this really isn't like you at allYou never acted this way before

What would make her be so faithless? Had any of it really been his fault? Hadn't it all been his fault? Would anything ever seem right again? Why couldn't she still care about him?